Senior Fellow
Christian D. Finnigan is an Associate Professor and Chair of Politics, Philosophy, and History at Cairn University, a Senior Fellow at the John Jay Institute, and a Lecturer in Christian History at Davenant Hall.
Finnigan previously served as an assistant professor of history and politics at Colorado Christian University (CCU), where he was awarded the Junior Faculty Award, chosen Professor of the Year by CCU student-athletes, and twice named Faculty Member of the Year. Before CCU, he served as adjunct professor of government at Patrick Henry College, an instructor in history at Sacred Heart University, and as a teaching fellow in history at Yale University. He has also been a fellow at the Centennial Institute and an Emo F.J. Van Halsema Fellow at the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies at Calvin University.
His academic work includes a chapter he recently contributed to From Generation to Generation: Writings in Honour of Douglas F. Kelly (Mentor, 2023), and papers presented at conferences such as the Sixteenth Century Studies Society, the Society for Reformation Studies, and the Southern Political Science Association.
In addition to his career in academia, Finnigan brings experience in both politics and Christian ministry that informs his work in the formation of principled leaders for public service. His political experience includes service on multiple political campaigns, most notably as Director of Ballot Access and Delegate Selection for the 2008 presidential campaign of Sen. Fred Thompson, serving as a White House Intern, and working for the American Conservative Union. His work in ministry includes serving as a pastoral apprentice at the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia, working for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and as a ministerial candidate in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), preaching in churches throughout the United States, England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Finnigan holds a BA from Randolph-Macon College where he studied religious studies and political science, an MA in the history of political thought and intellectual history from University College London, an MLitt in Reformation studies from the University of St Andrews, an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary, a ThM in historical theology from Erskine Theological Seminary, and a JD with a concentration in homeland and national security law from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. He is currently a PhD candidate at McGill University, where his dissertation explores the political thought of the Protestant reformer Martin Bucer.